Uncle Beefy + Coco+Kelley = Modern Mexicana & Churros

Kids, come this time of year you can bet that those of us living in the Pacific Northwest that have been staring down grey skies for several weeks will start dreaming of sunnier locales. Well, turns out that Cassandra of Coco+Kelley (a fellow Northwest blogger) put those dreams to some stylishly creative use. With the February chill, Cassandra put a spicier spin on your ordinary Valentine's Day festivities and came up with a "Modern Mexicana" fiesta to share with all the ones you love. ¡Perfecto!

So when she called out to your Uncle to whip up some of my cha-cha-churros to round out her vision I was more than happy to share some o' my sugar! Thus, I give to you homemade Churros (recipe below) with 3 different chocolate dips ~ White Chocolate with Orange & Almond, Milk Chocolate Cinnamon Spice, and Chocolate & Chile (you'll find my recipes for the dips over on Coco+Kelley).

CHURROS
Adapted from Bon Appétit via Epicurious
 

I always had it in my mind that churros were going to be far more complicated to make at home. But one go around and you'll be amazed how simple these hot, fresh, and tasty treats come together.

Update: Thanks to the kindness of Jo writing in stating that she had problems with the batter being runny, I've amended the recipe, which originally stated "8 large eggs", to now read "4 extra large eggs" and that's precisely what I would stick with to get a successful result. I just did a double-check recipe test and this worked out perfectly. Thanks so much, Jo! Sorry, kids! I swear I can cook. Writing recipes? Looks like I need a little more practice in that department.

Cinnamon Sugar

1 1/2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon sea salt

Churros Batter

2 cups whole milk
1 stick unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 extra large eggs

Quart of vegetable or canola oil for frying.

Blend sugar, cinnamon, and salt together and set aside.

For churros batter: Place milk, butter, sugar, and salt in a saucepan and, over medium heat, stir until butter is melted and sugar is fully dissolved. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add flour to wet ingredients and stir briskly with a wooden spoon until shiny dough mass forms (about 1 minute). Remove from heat and transfer dough to a large bowl and allow to cool (about 10 minutes). With an electric mixer running (or a standing mixer with paddle attachment), beat in the eggs, 1 at a time and keep beating until the dough turns smooth, shiny, and sticky.

In a large pot over medium heat, bring oil up to 350°F.

Place batter into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip (for skinnier churros "sticks" similar to those shown here, use a smaller star tip). In small batches, pipe churros batter into hot oil in 3 1/2- to 4-inch-long ribbons (use knife or, my favorite, kitchen scissors, to cut the batter at end of star tip) and allow batter to gently slide into oil. Fry until a deep golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side (depending on size of star tip used). Transfer to paper towels to drain and cool. Gently toss in the cinnamon sugar to fully coat. Best served warm.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIE HARMSEN • CREATIVE DIRECTION & STYLING BY CASSANDRA LAVALLE
STYLING ASSISTANT, AMANDA GRAY • PIñATA BY PINYADAYADA